Maintenance of Quality and Reproducibility

Many requirements for cell culture quality standards are not defined in detail and are thus performed differently between laboratories and sometimes even within the same laboratory. Implementation of standardized laboratory practice protocols contributes to the establishment of comparable parameters for high reproducibility, independent of the person performing the experiments. Aiming at a consensus among scientists, guidelines for Good Cell Culture Practice comprising different important cell culture topics have been developed [1, 2, 3]These guidelines cover the important aspects that should be kept in mind to increase the inter-laboratory comparability of in vitro studies:

Characterization and safeguarding of essential characteristics of the used cell lines.

Quality assurance for consistency, traceability and reproducibility.

Recording and scientific reporting of data.

Education and training of personnel in basic cell culture practice, special procedures and specific safety issues.

Safety and ethical issues.

Why you should use standardized techniques in cell culture

The use of standardized techniques in experimental protocols contributes efficiently to the establishment and maintenance of Good Cell Culture Practice. Standard operating procedures are special forms providing written step-by-step procedures in order to ensure accuracy and precision during working processes for the maintenance of quality and reproducibility. It is recommended to summarize the key aspects for each cell line used in the cell culture laboratory, including information about its identity and culture conditions as well as daily procedures of cultivation. The ongoing cultivation of a cell line should thus be continuously recorded providing:

Traceable and definitive cell line identification.

Essential and clear information of culture conditions and procedure.

Flexibility and cultivation independent of the individual cell culturist.